Video shows end zone bleachers being torn down at UT's Royal-Memorial Stadium in $175M renovation

Artist rendering of the Royal-Memorial Stadium south end zone expansion and renovation.

Artist rendering of the Royal-Memorial Stadium south end zone expansion and renovation.

Photo: University Of Texas

Photo: University Of Texas

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Artist rendering of the Royal-Memorial Stadium south end zone expansion and renovation.

Artist rendering of the Royal-Memorial Stadium south end zone expansion and renovation.

Photo: University Of Texas

Video shows end zone bleachers being torn down at UT's Royal-Memorial Stadium in $175M renovation

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AUSTIN – On May 4, University of Texas officials and donors gathered at Royal-Memorial Stadium for a groundbreaking ceremony. Finally, the 95-year-old stadium would begin its transformation.

"It's exciting for our football program, for our coaches and really for The University of Texas for us to begin construction on a $175 million project. It's an awesome day," Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte said. "It speaks volumes to Longhorn Nation. They said yes, we support you, not only philanthropically, but with their attendance in the stands."

But the south end zone expansion and renovation project didn’t start in earnest until later in the month. Little by little, Texas has provided insight into this two-and-a-half year process.

A new video posted Wednesday shows the south end zone bleachers being dismantled. This is the first stage of renovations to be made to the Moncrief-Neuhaus Athletic Center, which sits behind the razed bleachers. Prior to this project no major alterations had been made since 1995.

Kansas City-based architectural firm Populous is overseeing the project, which will include premium end-zone seating, luxury loge boxes occupied by wealthy alumni and donors, a new Longhorn Network broadcast platform, new athletic department offices, a successor to the monstrous "Godzillatron" video board and other state-of-the-art amenities. The overall seating capacity will remain at 100,119.

"It's ultimately for our players," Texas Head Football Coach Tom Herman said. "When you come to The University of Texas, you deserve to train in the finest facilities in the country. We're close right now with the renovations that we did when we first got here with our locker room and weight room, and this new project will certainly put us in the upper echelon of training facilities nationwide. At the same time, it will really enhance our gameday atmosphere for our fans."

Construction on the seats, clubs and additional amenities are scheduled to be completed in time for the 2021 season.